1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for indicating the loading of trucks, particularly the weight of the useful load which has been picked up by garbage collecting trucks, which trucks have a frame which is movable relative to the axles and is supported on the axles by springs.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When trucks are being loaded, a loading in excess of the highest permissible total weight can usually not be avoided unless the weight of the load is known. However, the weight of the load is not known in many cases so that only a coarse estimate of the total weight can be made and the total weight may often exceed the highest permissible total weight or may be much lower than said the highest permissible weight so that the capacity of the truck is not fully utilized.
The desire to estimate the load in order to avoid overloading and to ensure optimum utilization of the load capacity arises particularly in connection with garbage collecting trucks which are loaded by emptying the contents of garbage cans into the truck and the driver cannot estimate the total weight of the garbage which has been picked up. If the truck moves to a dump before the highest permissible total weight has been reached, this means that the load capacity of the truck is not fully utilized. This is uneconomical. On the other hand, if the load exceeds the load capacity, this may result in risks due to overloading, the roads may be soiled by garbage falling from the truck and the braking and hydraulic systems of the truck may be overloaded.